77th Trans Co France and Germany

The 77th Transportation Company (Med Truck) was activated on 1 May 1936. Except for a 15 month period, it had been on continuous duty in North Africa and Europe since arrival in Casablanca, French Morocco in 1943. The 77th Transportation was at Henry Kaserne in Munich Germany in the late 40s, and in November 1951 deployed from Germany to Bordeaux, France. In France, they were attached successively to the 7711th Provisional Truck Battalion, the 109th Transportation Battalion (Truck), the 2nd Transportation Battalion (Truck) and, in November 1956, to the 106th Transportation Battalion, the 77th was located in Jeumont Kaserne, La Rochelle, France.

AU REVOIR FRANCE: 1963

On 24 July 1963, LTC (later MG) Del Mar assumed command. In the fall of 1963, French President Charles DeGualle ordered American troops out of his country. On 2 November 1963 the battalion received its orders to leave western France. Letter orders 241-1. Headquarters COMMZ Europe dated 2 November 1963, moved the battalion to Bremerhaven. Germany. In the haste to move, the Army did not have time to approve funds for the move. LTC Del Mar left ahead of his convoys to arrange for government quarters for his soldiers and purchased food for the families with his own money. He authorized each bachelor one trailer and each family two trailers to load and haul their household goods. They loaded Privately Owned Vehicles (POVs) on trailers and covered them so they would not be seen. The last M52 tractor to cross the border had a white painted plywood sign on the back with a green frogs and the words, "Never Again Froggie", written under it. The Americans referred to the French as "Frog". Since American soldiers had fought in two wars for the defense or liberation of France, they felt insulted.

While not stated in the movement orders, the mission was to clear the Bremerhaven military ocean terminal and line haul to Giessen. The battalion headquarters and the 78th Transportation Company and Detachment 2, TTP, La Rochelle, moved from La Rochelle in France, to Bremerhaven. The 77th Transportation Company moved from La Rochelle to Kassel military sub-post, Rothwestern AB, Germany. The 67th Transportation Company and Detachment 1, TTP moved from St. Nazaire to Bremerhaven. The 598th Transportation Company was detached from the 28th Transportation Battalion, attached to the l06th, and moved from Ingrandes, France to Kassel. and was attached to the 106th in late 1963.

In April 1966, LTC Wanek was given the mission to clear the depots in
western France. The initial concept of operation was for the 106th to
clear depots in the general vicinity of Orleans and line-haul to Toul in
the vicinity of Nancy. The code name for the operation vas FRELOC: an
acronym for French Line of Comminations. However, the initial tonnage
figures were seriously underestimated. FRELOC grew geometrically into an
all-consuming monster of men and equipment. During the height of FRELOC,
the l06th ironically found itself clearing it's original home in France:
Bussac General Depot.

During FRELOC, the battalion accumulated over 6.5 million miles.
Because of it's distinguished accomplishments during FRELOC, the l06th
was given the honor of pulling the last trailer out of France. In
keeping with it's tradition, the l06th accomplished the mission on time
and in good order. The last tractor was driven across the border by SP5
Wilson, 77th Transportation Company, with LT Hefferran as shotgun,
during 'the late evening of' 31 March 1967.

The conclusion of FRELOC brought major changes to the battalion's task organization. The 900-mile long LOC shifted to a 600 mile long north to south LOC. The 598th Transportation Company moved from Kassel to Mannheim in early 1967. With the move, the company was detached from the battalion and again attached to the 28th in Mannheim. The 1st Transportation Company and Trailer Transfer Point Hotel (TTH) in Nuernberg were transferred from the 28th to l06th during the same period. The 70th Transportation Company moved from Kassel to Butzbach in support of the Army Depot Complex in Giessen. Upon leaving France, the 77th Transportation Company and TTE were relocated to Dachau, Germany, near the Austrian border. The battalion headquarters, the 67th, 78th, TTA and TTB remained in Bremerhaven.

By late 1969, a long standing proposal to move the battalion
headquarters to a more central location was approved. In January, 1970
LTC (1ater COL) Conner moved the battalion headquarters and the 78th
Transportation Company to their present home in Azbill Barracks,
Ruesselsheim, Germany (between Frankfurt and Darmstadt).

After 27 years of continuous service in the European theater. the 77th Transportation Company was inactivated in Dachau, Germany on. 25 June 1970.